Pieces
by TessaStarDean
Summary: Somebody is coming after those close to Jack's heart...T for now, possibly NC17 later. Some odd pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Chloe just barely bit back her curse as she opened her front door and found herself staring at Spencer. His hands were in his pockets and he was giving her a hesitant smile that immediately faded as he was assaulted by her deep scowl. Shuffling his feet nervously, he cleared his throat.

"Hey Chloe."

"What the hell do you want?"

"I, uh…" He saw her eyes narrow at him suspiciously, and he hurried to his point. "My car broke down a little ways back. You're the first person that actually answered their door."

"What, your car just _happened_ to break down on _my_ street?"

"Sadly, yes. You don't really think I was _looking_ for you, do you? You're not exactly a part of my life that I'd like to remember." He would have missed the flash of hurt in her eyes if he hadn't been looking for it. "Look…can we just…can I please just use your phone to call AAA?"

"Don't you have a cell?" she asked, making no move to let him in.

He held up his phone and smiled ruefully. "Battery died."

She continued to frown at him, but he could tell that she was mulling over his request. He could see the battle raging in her eyes, and he realized that she wasn't going to slam the door in his face.

"Fine," she muttered, rolling her eyes and moving to the side so that he could come in.

Shutting the door after him, she led him through the living room and into the kitchen. She pointed to the phone without looking at him, and then moved over to the opposite wall and turned o face him, her arms crossed. Spencer stared back.

"You're just going to stand there?"

"Yes."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not in the least."

Shaking his head, he moved to lift the receiver from it's cradle. Before he could dial, a ringing came from upstairs. Chloe stood her ground for a moment before sighing and stomping out of the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, Spencer smiled and hung up the phone.

888888

By the time she came back downstairs, Spencer was waiting for her in the living room. He was holding one of her pictures that belonged on the mantel, and he put it back quickly when he saw her enter the room.

"Well?" Chloe asked without preamble.

"They're on the way." He paused, waiting for a reaction but getting none. "I should probably head back to my car."

"Yes. Please."

She moved toward the door, reaching out to turn the knob. Without a sound he was there, gripping her wrist and pushing the door close. Chloe tried to free herself from his grasp, but he twisted her arm and she cried out in pain.

"You know, O'Brian," he said quietly. "Your attitude hasn't changed at all, but your appearance…" His eyes raked up and down her body "has definitely improved. What do you say you and I get together sometime? Just for fun?"

Chloe spat in his face and finally managed to wrench her arm away.

"Get out."

Chuckling, he let his eyes run the length of her again. "You weren't really worth the trouble anyway," he murmured as he opened the door and walked out.

88888

When the door had shut behind him, Chloe struggled to fight back her tears. She had never expected to see Spencer again, and his behavior had really thrown her off. He was just as cocky as ever, but there seemed to be…a certain malice underlying his words and actions. Her wrist still hurt from where he had grabbed her, and she was pretty sure that she was going to have a bruise by morning.

Torn between wanting a shower and being starving, she finally decided that she would eat before scrubbing her skin until she couldn't feel his hand or eyes anymore. Heading into the kitchen, she walked over to the fridge, opening it and searching for something that resembled a meal.

Her head was halfway in when a sound caught her attention. Closing the door, she moved to the kitchen window, looking out at her back yard. It took her a minute to find the source of the noise, as her eyes rested a large German Shepherd. She had seen the dog before in the neighborhood, and she wasn't a fan. Especially not now when it was terrorizing her cat. She flew out the back door, striding across the lawn and yelling at the animal to get away. It just stared at her cat, growling until the feline hissed one last time and bounded off across one of the neighbor's yards. When she reached the dog, she carefully took him by the collar and started to drag him off her property.

The blast was so sudden, that Chloe had barely even registered the sound before she felt an intense heat on her back and she found herself flying through the air towards her shed.


	2. Chapter 2

"You get more junk mail than anyone I know," Tony commented as he sifted through the stack of paper on the kitchen table.

"I know. You would think that being dead and then taken by the Chinese would get me off their radar," Jack replied.

They were quiet for a minute as Jack continued to make dinner and Tony rifled through the mail, checking to see if anything was worth keeping. It seemed Jack just piled it on the table every day and then forgot about it. There was at least two months worth there.

"Dinner's almost ready," Jack said, his attention on the stove in front of him.

When Tony didn't respond, he turned around to look at his friend. The other man stood stock still at the table, his back to him and an open letter in his hands. Jack walked around so he could see his face, and he was shocked to see how pale he was.

"Tony?"

"I think we have a problem," he said, handing him the letter.

Jack took it and started to read. As the words began to sink in, his stomach tied in knots and he found it difficult to breathe.

_Agent Bauer,_

_A man who holds nothing close has nothing to lose. After all these years, you have lost much, and have very little left. But those three things that you hold closest to your heart leave you exposed to more pain. Unless you can save them in time. _

_I come when called_

_I never falter_

_I can be what you ask_

_What you want_

_What you need_

_But I never change_

_I never leave_

_I am a weapon_

_I am a shield._

_I go in first_

_I follow behind._

_I draw fire_

_I spew it forth._

_My blood for yours_

_And yours for mine._

_I am part of you_

_And of someone else._

_I am never one thing_

_But always another._

_I own your heart_

_Your soul_

_Your mind._

_But then I leave_

_I go away._

_I run to another_

_And possess them as well._

"What the hell is this?" Jack demanded when he had read it through twice.

"They're riddles. Somebody is coming after you."

"Who?"

"I don't know. But they want to hurt you, and it looks like they're going after where your heart lies instead of just killing you."

Jack sighed in frustration. "But I don't get it. I don't do riddles. These make no sense!"

Tony took the letter from him gently. "Actually, they do. Just give me a couple minutes. I can figure them out."

"How?"

"I used to do a lot of puzzles and cryptology stuff. Now be quiet."

He sat down at the table, trying to ignore Jack's pacing as he scoured the letter again. His finger ran along the lines and his lips moved as he worked his way through the riddles as fast as he could.

"The first one's easy," he finally declared. "Chloe."

"Chloe?"

"She's your net, Jack. She's always there, always ready to do whatever you need. She'll be an analyst, hacker, field agent…whatever you ask of her. But she never changes. She's always a loyal friend."

"They're going after Chloe?"

"Not just Chloe. There's two more riddles, and I'm pretty sure they're not about her."

"Then who?"

"Hang on. _My blood for yours and yours for mine._ That pretty much describes a partner. They sacrifice their lives for each other. _I draw fire._ Maybe that's not real fire, but bullets. A partner draws fire to keep the other safe and does this by shooting his own gun."

"You. You're my partner."

"I haven't been for years."

"Curtis is dead and Chase is on the other side of the country with a brand new family. You three were the only partners I was ever close to, and you're my best friend. That one's about you."

"In danger again. Lucky me," Tony muttered.

"What about the last one?" Jack asked anxiously.

They read over it again and again, both wracking their brains in an attempt to decipher who the riddle was about. Jack started pacing again, muttering under his breath. Finally, he turned back to Tony.

"This is ridiculous! It sounds like a demon or something. _I own your heart, your soul, your mind _and then _I run to another and possess them as well_? It's like a parasite."

Tony scratched his head. "What owns your heart? A spouse. You don't have one of those. A child…Kim."

Jack stared at him. "Does the rest of the riddle fit?"

"_I am part of you and of someone else._ She's you and Teri. _I am never one thing but always another._ That pretty much describes any child. And the last part – that reminded you of a parasite or demon? A daughter rules her dad's heart, soul and mind. And then she gets married and rules another man. It fits. It's Kim."

"We need to go get them. Now."

But Tony remained seated, staring at the envelope that the letter had come in.

"Tony? Come on! We've got to move!"

"Jack…this letter came two days ago."

He froze. "What are you saying?"

"That we have no idea how much time we have."

Jack closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay. Well, you're here with me. So I know you're safe. Chloe lives nearby. Kim is a few towns over."

"Is there anybody that can get to Kim faster than we can?"

He was silent for a long time, his eyes glued to the floor as he tried to think.

"There's only one person I can think of who lives there."

"Who?"

Jack looked up. "Milo."

"Can we trust him?"

"I think so. The important thing is that we get Kim out, right?"

Tony nodded. "Call him. Tell him to get her and meet us at the safe house in Silverlake."

"I'll call him on the way to Chloe's. Let's go."

8888888888888888888

Jack's heart stopped when they pulled up in front of Chloe's house – or what _used_ to be Chloe's house. There was nothing left. Debris lay everywhere, charred, some of it still on fire. Firefighters were already there, digging through the wreckage, but it was clear that if anyone had been inside, they hadn't survived.

Tony was out of the car immediately, but he stopped when he realized that Jack wasn't with him. Turning, he saw that his friend was still sitting behind the steering wheel, obviously in shock. He raced around to the driver's door and yanked it open.

"Let's go, Jack."

"We're too late."

"You don't know that. You don't know that she was home."

"I've lost her."

Tony knelt down and grabbed Jack's chin, forcing him to look at him. "You would know, Jack. If Chloe were dead, you would know it. You would feel it in every nerve and tissue. Stop and feel for a second. Is she dead?"

He took a few deep breaths, calming himself and letting his body relax just a little. Finally he lifted his eyes to Tony's again.

"No. She's alive."

"Good. That means we have to find her. So get your ass out of the car and help me look."

He got up that time, and the two of them moved onto Chloe's property. Policemen tried to stop them, but backed off once they saw their badges. They moved slowly, picking their way through the debris, looking for any sign that Chloe was there or maybe that she hadn't been there when the bomb went off.

Straightening from some wood he was examining, Jack stared into what would have been her backyard before the explosion. His eyes swept over it, pausing when he saw a dog pawing at something on the ground. Even from a distance, he could see that the dog's fur was singed and it was limping slightly. The animal whined, scratching against a large piece of wood that lay on the ground at an odd angle. He continued staring until everything finally clicked in his head.

Jack surged forward, running across the property after yelling over his shoulder to get Tony's attention. As he neared it, the dog backed up slightly, still whining and staring at the wood. Jack reached forward and took hold of the debris, trying to move it, but it was too large for him. Tony joined him, and together they managed to lift it and throw it to the side.

His heart stopped again as he found himself staring at an unmoving Chloe. Her face was covered in suit and the edges of her clothes were burned, but she looked as though she had missed the worst of it. Bending down, fear choking him, he reached out a hand and felt for a pulse. After a moment, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"She's alive."

88888888888888888888888888888

Kim sighed as her doorbell rang. She stood up from the box she was emptying and took a moment to survey the room. She had only moved in a couple weeks ago, and she was still unpacking her stuff. But slowly it was starting to look like a real home and she was really quite proud of herself. She was single, but she was making it on her own. She had her own house, she had a great job, and she was speaking to her father again. All in all, things were finally looking up.

The person at the door grew impatient, and started pounding on the door with their fist. Kim bit back a rude comment and moved down her hallway, wondering who could be so anxious to see her. Her dad would have called first, and there really wasn't anyone else who would come visit her.

She found herself staring with her mouth open when she opened the door and was faced with Milo Pressman. She hadn't seen him in years – not since the day her mother died. They had met before that of course. He worked at CTU sometimes, and whenever she was there to visit her father, she ended up talking to him because he was the closest to her in age. But she could think of no reason why he would be standing on her doorstep right now.

"Milo?"

"Hey, Kim. I need to come in."

"Why?"

"I'll explain once we're inside."

"Why are you here?"

"Kim, please. This is important. Just let me in."

"How do you even know where I live?"

He sighed, realizing that she required some explanation. "Jack sent me."

Frowning as even deeper confusion set in, she stepped aside and let him in. Closing the door behind him, she led him into the living room, which was still full of boxes. Milo looked around curiously.

"You just move in?"

"Yeah. Couple weeks ago."

He nodded. "Nice. I live a few blocks over. It's a good neighborhood."

"That's what I heard. Milo, why are you here?"

"Right. Your dad called me a little while ago. Said you were in danger and I need to get you out of town. We're supposed to meet him and Tony and Chloe at a CTU safe house."

"Why didn't he come himself?"

"He was afraid he wouldn't get here in time. I was a lot closer. And he had to go get Chloe. She's in danger too."

"Anyone else?"

"Tony."

"Oh."

"So we need to go. Now. My car-" He paused as his gaze drifted out the window. He could see his car from there, parked in the driveway. But further down the street, he could also see a blue Lancer. It had been there when he got onto the road, and now a woman was stepping out of it, one he was sure he had seen before in his work at CTU…

He pulled her to the ground just in time, as bullets came flying through the large picture window. They crawled across the floor toward the kitchen, trying to move quickly without making themselves into targets. When they reached the safety of the other room, they stood, jumping when they heard someone kick down the front door.

"Is there a back door?" Milo whispered, his gun out.

"Yeah, but we'd have to jump. They're going to build a deck, but for now it just opens up onto thin air."

"Shit! Okay, here's what we do. We're gonna move into the room with that door in it, and I want you to open it and then close it loudly. I want her to think we went out that way. If it works, we can sneak out the front."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll be finding out how rusty my aim is."

Kim led him slowly through the kitchen, pausing when she had to cross the entrance into the hallway. She had no idea if the assassin was still there or if she had moved into one of the adjoining rooms or even up the stairs. If she got to the dining room before they did, they weren't going to be able to protect themselves.

She peeked around the corner, breathing a little easier when she saw that the hall was empty. Motioning to Milo, she led him across the rest of the kitchen, moving into the dining room. When she saw that that room was empty as well, she picked up the pace, heading straight for the back door.

She felt Milo grab her before her brain registered the pop. He pushed her to the ground, crying out in pain as the bullet grazed his side and lodged itself in the door. Sitting up, he fired back, forcing the assassin back into the kitchen. Kim opened the door and slammed it while Milo fired again, covering them as they moved out of the dining room through the other door. They walked quietly toward the hall again, listening closely to discern where the woman had gone.

When they heard the back door open again, Milo grabbed Kim's hand and they slipped out the front door with as little noise as possible. Kim instantly ran for his car parked in the driveway, but Milo pulled her up short.

"What are you doing?"

"I want her car."

"What?"

"The bitch shot me. I want her car."

Ignoring her protests, he pulled her down the street, keeping his gun at the ready. When they reached the car, Milo went for the driver's door, but Kim reached it first.

"You're injured and you're the only one of us that really knows how to shoot. I'll drive."

He nodded, running around to the passenger's side. As he sat down, he opened his mouth to explain how to hotwire the car, but ended up staring in astonishment as he watched her do it without any help. When the car roared to life, she gave him a small smile.

"A friend taught me."

"Thank God for that."

As they sped down the road, neither noticed Milo's car pulling out of the driveway and following them.

888888888888888888

She sat in the backseat of the SUV, staring out at the apartment building. It had been years since she had seen Tony, and part of her wished that she could show herself to him before finishing this. But her job was simple and the pay was good, and she knew that making herself known to him would only complicate things.

Turning her attention back inside the car, she reached for the RPG-7 rocket launcher sitting on the seat next to her. She took careful aim, double checking that the other backseat window was already open so that it didn't shatter. With only the slightest second of hesitation, she pulled the trigger and watched as the rocket flew toward its target.

As people on the street screamed and ran and pointed at the billowing smoke coming from the burning apartment building, Nina got out of the backseat and moved to the front, putting on her sunglasses and driving out of the city.


	3. Chapter 3

It took a lot of arguing for Jack and Tony to be able to take Chloe without her getting checked out at a hospital first. EMS didn't want to let her out of their sight, and the police wanted her statement as soon as she was conscious and coherent. But as Jack held her tightly in his arms, Tony somehow made it all work. He showed them his badge, explained that the bomb had been an attempted hit on Chloe by unknown assassins. He also pointed out that taking her to a hospital or waiting for her to wake up so that EMS could check on her would only make them more of a target. The head EMT finally acquiesced on the grounds that he would make as thorough of an examination as he could while she was still unconscious – then he would let them leave.

Jack was reluctant to let her go. But he knew that the sooner he let the EMT look her over, the sooner they could leave and the sooner they could work on figuring out who was behind all of this. He set her down gently on the stretcher and hovered nearby as she was checked out. Finally, the EMT straightened.

"She seems fine. I think she was just knocked unconscious by the force of the blast. Vitals are good. But if she doesn't wake up soon, Agent Bauer, you will need to get her to a hospital immediately."

Jack nodded. "I understand. Can we go now?"

The other man sighed. "Yes. Good luck."

Without another word, Jack scooped Chloe up and carried her to his car. Tony slid behind the wheel as Jack gently laid his friend on the backseat. Walking around to the other side, he got in the back with her, lifting her head so that he could set it in his lap.

"Silverlake?" Tony asked.

Jack nodded and they drove off.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

Halfway there, Chloe began to stir. Jack ran his fingers through her hair, trying to let her know that she was safe, that it was okay for her to wake up now. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up at him.

"Jack?"

"Hey," he said softly.

"What's going on?"

"You were caught in an explosion, Chloe. But you're alright now. We're taking you somewhere where you'll be safe."

She tried to sit up, but her head was pounding. Jack gently pushed her down again.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked.

Chloe closed her eyes, trying to force her brain to function again. Jack watched her, worry evident on his face. He knew that she would beat herself up if she couldn't come up with something to help them, but he didn't want her to push too hard.

"Spencer," she said suddenly.

"What?"

"Spencer. He showed up at my place. Said his car broke down and he needed to use the phone."

Tony spoke up from the front. "Was he ever alone in a room?"

Chloe nodded. "The kitchen. My cell phone started ringing and I ran upstairs to answer it." She paused, a look of anguish on her face. "How could I have been so stupid?"

Jack stroked her face. "This isn't your fault, Chloe. It's mine."

"Yours?"

He nodded. "Someone is coming after me. And they're doing it by coming after the people I love. Tony and Kim are targets too."

"Where is Kim?"

"We sent Milo to get her and bring her to the safe house. We were too far away to reach her in time."

"How do you know this is about you?"

"Someone sent me a letter. A very taunting letter with riddles about who the targets were. Tony figured them out. Turns out he was right." Jack paused, taking a deep breath. "You're lucky to be alive," he said quietly.

Chloe took her hand in his. "This isn't your fault, Jack. Even if someone is doing this to hurt you. That just makes them that much more evil. I don't blame you."

"Neither do I," Tony added.

"Thank you," he whispered.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

The safe house was actually an apartment in Silverlake. But it had good visibility of the roads around it and it was rented by a shadow company that had been set up by CTU for emergencies.

Jack paced the living room floor anxiously, torn between waiting for Milo and Kim and checking on Chloe repeatedly. She almost yelled at him once, wanting to tell him that he was only making everybody else more stressed. But she stilled her tongue when she saw how worried he was – the few things he had left in the world were being threatened, and he wouldn't be able to calm down until he had them all with him and under his protection.

In reality, it wasn't that long before Milo and Kim showed up. The knock on the door made everyone jump and Jack rushed to peer through the peep hole. When he saw that it was them, he breathed a loud sigh of relief and opened the door for them.

As soon as they were inside, he pulled Kim against him roughly, holding her as tightly as he could. She hugged him back fiercely – on the drive to the safe house, she had constantly worried about him and the others, afraid that maybe they hadn't made it. When she and Jack finally pulled away, she looked around the apartment in confusion and worry.

"Where's Chloe?"

"I'm here," the other woman said quietly as she walked out of the bedroom.

"What happened to you?" Milo asked, his eyes wide.

"My house blew up."

"Holy shit."

"Pretty much."

Kim turned to her father. "So what do we do now?"

Tony answered instead. "We call for some help."

"Is there someone you trust?" Jack asked.

The other man nodded and picked up the apartment phone. "I'll call her now and see what she can do for us."

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"So what happened?" Jack asked Milo after Tony had finished his phone call and rejoined them in the living room.

"It was Mandy."

He winced as Kim cleaned the wound where the bullet had grazed him. It wasn't a serious wound, but it was deep enough to bleed a substantial amount. Kim glared at him as though to tell him to quit moving and went back to her work.

"Mandy?" Tony asked, surprise and dismay in his voice.

Milo nodded. "She came in, guns blazing. We managed to trick her. Got out just in time."

"Did you shoot her?"

This time he shook his head. "My aim sucks, man. I haven't had to use my gun in a long time, and she was way better at it than me."

Jack thought for a moment. "They sent Mandy after Kim and Spencer after Chloe. How are the two connected?"

"Money," Chloe answered promptly. "I think the fiasco with the White House really screwed Spencer up. He thought he was doing the right, patriotic thing and it turned out he was helping a traitor. He was…different when I saw him. Mean. Bitter. I think he could be bought for the right amount of money. And he certainly took pleasure in hurting me."

Tony nodded his agreement. "And with Mandy, it's always about the money. She'll sell her services to the highest bidder. It doesn't matter what their politics or goals are. She's good at what she does and she's got a reputation."

"So that begs the question," Milo offered. "Who did they send after Tony?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a knock on the door. They all froze, fear settling down on them like a thick blanket. Tony was the first to shake himself free, and he moved toward the door, checking the peep hole. Then he was opening it and letting the person in.

"Nadia?" Chloe asked in confusion when she saw who it was.

The younger woman nodded.

"Tony called me. Said you guys needed some help."

Tony motioned for her to take a seat.

"Did you find anything out?"

She sighed. "Not much. I did find out that Mandy escaped from prison."

"Yeah," Milo interrupted. "We got that one."

"Were you _shot_?" Nadia asked.

He nodded. "Mandy decided I'd look better with a hole or two in my torso."

"So the reports on her aren't exaggerated."

"No," Tony said firmly. "Did you find out anything else?"

"Tons of money was wired into her account about a week ago. I traced the funds back to an account, but I couldn't find out who it belonged to or when it originated. I did, however, manage to trace two more money transfers to other people."

"Who?" Jack demanded.

"Spencer Wolff."

"Yeah. He blew up my house," Chloe supplied.

"Who's the other person?" Tony asked.

Nadia took a deep breath. "Nina Myers."

"Excuse me?"

"She's using an alias, but I'm sure that it's her." She paused. "There's something else."

"We can't take much more bad news, Nadia," Milo pointed out.

"Tony, Nina blew up your apartment. The whole building, actually."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"A street cam caught her on tape. She shot an RPG-7 from the backseat of an SUV. I got a license plate number and I'm trying to track her down."

Tony lowered his head into his hands. The news that Nina was after him hit him hard, and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Milo got up and moved across the room, leaning against the wall and staring out one of the windows that looked down on the street. "So basically, we've got three assassins after us, two of whom are certifiably crazy, and –"

He stopped suddenly, staring outside in shock. Everyone noticed his silence and Jack walked over to him and peered out as well.

"What's wrong?"

"My car."

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"It's here."

"So?"

"So we didn't drive my car here. We stole Mandy's."

"And you're sure that's your car out there?"

"I can see the license plate. It's mine."

"So you're telling me that you stole the assassin's car and then didn't check to see if she followed you? What the hell were you thinking, Pressman?"

"The only thing I was thinking about was getting us out alive."

"You should have been checking for a tail."

"Well, gee, Jack. I was too busy bleeding from taking a bullet for you daughter!"

Jack grabbled Milo's collar and pulled him closer.

"Hey!" Kim yelled, moving toward them. "Both of you calm down. Dad, Milo saved my life. You can't blame him unless you're going to blame me as well."

"That's different-"

"No, it's not. I worked for CTU once, remember? I should know better. Now, if Milo's car is here, that means that Mandy is here. And that means we need to get out. Right?"

Tony nodded. "And we should split up. She can't follow all of us if we're heading in different directions."

Jack looked pained. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Chloe stood up. "You take Kim, Jack."

He shook his head. "We don't have to split up."

She walked over to him and cupped his face in her hands. "You can't protect all of us at once, Jack. Take Kim. Take care of your daughter. I'll go with Milo. It'll be okay."

"I don't want to let you out of my sight," he whispered.

"It'll be okay," she repeated.

"What about me?" Nadia asked.

"I know they're not coming after you, but I don't want you going out there alone. You stay with Tony. If anything goes wrong, he can help you," Jack told her, clearing his throat and trying to swallow his emotion.

She nodded. "Sounds good."

"New meeting place?" Milo asked.

"There's a little motel about an hour from here. It's called Three Crowns. We'll meet there."

The others nodded. Tony spoke up again after a moment. "We all need to leave by different routes."

"There's the basement, the roof, and the service entrance," Nadia supplied. "The basement connects to the sewers, which can you almost anywhere. This building is so close to the ones next to it that you don't even have to jump to get onto them. Those seem to be the best options."

Tony nodded. "Okay then. You and I will take the roof. Milo, you and Chloe go through the sewers. Jack, you take Kim and go out the service entrance in the back. God willing, we'll all meet up again soon."

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

Jack had his gun out as he and Kim moved toward the service entrance. He kept his hand low, shielding his weapon from anybody else's vision. Kim stayed close and they moved quickly through the apartment building.

As they opened the door and walked out into the sunshine, Jack found himself staring at Spencer Wolff, who was aiming a gun straight at his chest. He flashed back to how much this guy had hurt Chloe and how he had nearly killed her that very morning. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his arm and fired three shots into his chest. Putting himself between Kim and the body, he quickened his pace as they left the parking lot.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Tony and Nadia jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. They had decided to jump a couple of buildings before coming back down and making their way to the motel. When they reached the door that led to the roof, Tony pulled his gun and led the way slowly.

Pushing open the door, he felt a cool breeze brush across his face. He held his gun in front of him, making sure that the roof was clear before he and Nadia went rushing across it.

Suddenly, he felt the cold metal of a barrel being pressed against his temple. He turned his head slightly to see Mandy holding a gun to his head, a smirk on her face.

"So we meet again," she said, her smirk turning into a full smile.

Tony felt Nadia freeze behind him, still shielded by the door. She moved backwards slowly, hoping she could get away unnoticed and warn the others that Mandy had taken Tony. But the assassin pulled out another gun and moved around the door, pointing the second weapon at the younger woman.

"Not so fast, sweetie. Wouldn't want you to miss the fun."

Without missing a beat, she turned her gun and slammed the butt of it into Tony's head, causing him to crumple to the ground.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"I hate sewers," Chloe muttered as she and Milo picked their way through the basement of the apartment complex.

"Have you ever actually been in a sewer before?" he asked curiously.

"Well, no. But I can't imagine they're nice places."

"So judgmental," Milo joked.

They reached the far wall, where a door led into the sewer system. Chloe stared at it in disgust and suspicion.

"Why exactly is there sewer access here?"

Milo shrugged. "I don't know. But it's quite fortuitous, don't you think?"

He reached out and turned the knob, opening the door without any hesitation. A gun in his face forced him backwards as Nina walked into the room.

"Well, well," she smiled. "It's Milo the Wonder Boy and Chloe the Super Hacker. I think this just got a whole lot more fun."


	4. Chapter 4

Jack and Kim moved quickly, looking for a car they could hotwire and drive to the next meeting place. They stayed low, using the vehicles as cover should Mandy be nearby. As Jack tried the handle of a red Mazda, his gaze drifted across the parking lot and came to rest on something happening out front.

His blood ran cold as he watched Nina march Milo and Chloe out of the building and toward an SUV nearby. He struggled to breathe, the knowledge that for the second time that day Chloe's life was in danger because of him weighing heavily on him. All thoughts of escape fled as he struggled to think of a way to save her.

Kim noticed his sudden preoccupation and her gaze followed his. She swallowed hard when she saw their friends being taken away.

"Dad?"

"I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"That I shouldn't have left her. Not with Milo. Not with anybody," he added quietly.

She put her hand on his arm, making him focus on her.

"Then we need to go get her back."

He shook his head. "I need to get you out of here."  
"You can't let Nina have her, Dad. She's already taken Mom – you can't lose another woman you love to her."

His eyes narrowed at her words. "You know?"

Kim laughed. "Please. It's obvious. Well, to everyone but her."

He hung his head. "I can't risk it."

She grabbed his chin and forced his eyes back up to hers. "No, what you can't do is let that bitch get away with this. Let's follow her. Then you can end this. Once and for all."

Jack marveled at the strength his daughter possessed, and her confidence snapped him out of his despair. He looked at the car they were standing next to and nodded quickly, tugging at the door and breathing a sigh of relief when it opened.

"Let's go then."

888888888888888888888888888888

He drove quickly, but made sure that he stayed far enough back that Nina wouldn't realize she had a tail. Constant worry flooded him as he followed her, his mind imagining what she would do to Chloe when they got to wherever they were going. Kim was right – he couldn't lose anyone else to that woman, especially not his best friend.

Kim watched her father out of the corner of her eye. She could tell that this new development was weighing heavily on him, that it was threatening to pull him under. But she could also see his determination. He wasn't going to let Nina win this time – he would finish this no matter what.

Her thoughts shifted as a car passed them on the right. Her eyes skimmed over the driver absently, her mind still focusing on the problem at hand. But her mouth dropped open as her gaze rested on someone in the backseat.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we have another problem."

She pointed and Jack turned to look at the car next to them. Staring back at them was Nadia, pleading with her eyes for them to see her, not wanting to draw Mandy's attention. Jack was momentarily stunned at the coincidence – and then he found himself wondering where Tony was.

Before his thoughts could go much further, Mandy turned her head and stared at him in surprise. She quickly got her expression under control though, and promptly slammed her car into theirs. Jack gripped the wheel in an effort to keep control, but Mandy simply continued to ram them. Cursing, he decided that he'd had enough and turned the wheel sharply, pushing the other car back across the road.

The two cars sped down the road, crashing into each other and then pulling apart again while they prepared for another hit. Jack clenched his jaw at the pain racing through his body – his left side was going to be one big bruise in a few hours. He knew they couldn't keep this up much longer. Traffic had been sparse so far, but they couldn't count on that. And the cars weren't faring well - he had to put an end to this now.

He slowed down slightly, letting Mandy gain a little bit of a lead. She turned to look at him with suspicious eyes, but for the moment she couldn't figure out what he was doing. Then Jack swung the car out to the right before turning the wheel sharply left and plowing his front end into the very back of the side of the other car. The vehicle went into a violent spin, its front end slamming into Kim's side before careening off the road and into a line of parked cars on the side of the street.

Jack pulled over, immediately turning to Kim.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, still in a daze from what had just happened.

Jack got out of the car and pulled his gun, moving slowly toward the other vehicle. The back door opened and Tony clambered out, rubbing his head. Nadia followed him – neither looked seriously injured.

"Are you two alright?"

Tony nodded, and then winced.

"She knocked me out. I woke up while you were slamming us across the road."

"She started it."

Kim moved closer as Nadia spoke up.

"So what do we do now?"

"Do you guys have any idea where Mandy was taking you?"  
"I was unconscious," Tony pointed out sadly.

"She said something about mansions by the beach," Nadia told them. "I didn't really understand what she was talking about."

Jack thought for a moment. "I think I know where it is. There's a place by the beach where there are a bunch of warehouses. Their known ironically as the Seaside Mansions – a lot of druggies hole up there."

"Alright," Nadia nodded. "So what's the plan?"

Jack looked at his friend. "Tony, I need you to get Nadia and Kim someplace safe."

"What?"

"I can't put Kim in any more danger, and Nadia isn't even a target. There's no reason for her to put her life on the line."

"How about you stop talking about us as though we're not here?" Kim demanded, stepping in. "I'm not leaving you."

"And neither am I," Nadia asserted. "You need help, Jack. I don't care who's after you guys. I can't just walk away. Chloe and Milo are my friends, and so are you two." She looked at Kim. "I don't actually know you very well, but you're Jack's daughter and that's all I need to know."

Kim nodded her agreement.

"I'm not letting you do this alone," Tony added. "You'll just get into more trouble. You're going to need someone to watch your back."

Jack hung his head at the onslaught of argument. After a minute he looked up again, his eyes hard with determination.

"Fine. Tony, you come with me. Nadia, I want you to take Kim away from here."

"No!" Kim argued.

Jack turned to face her. "Kim, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you because of me. Go with Nadia. Please."

She opened her mouth to protest again, but Nadia caught her eye, nodding her head just a little to let her know that it was okay. Kim huffed and crossed her arms.

"You'd better not get hurt," she warned. "Either of you."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief when she relented. Leaning in, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"We'll try our best," he murmured. "You two go back to CTU. See what you can find, okay?"

Kim nodded and hugged her father as Nadia moved closer to Tony, brushing her hand against his.

"Kim's right. You two better be careful. I want you both back in one piece."

Tony stared at her for a moment, a smile teasing at his lips. He reached out and squeezed her hand gently.

"Don't worry."

They pulled back when Jack turned to talk to them again.

"You two take the Mazda. Tony and I will find another car."

"What about Mandy?" Kim asked.

Jack stared at the crumpled car that was still on the side of the road. A crowd had gathered and there were sirens in the distance, but he couldn't leave Mandy as a loose end. Striding toward the car, he cocked his gun, deciding that a bullet in the head would put a stop to her coming after them.

As he walked across the street, the car burst into flame. Jack was thrown back against the pavement as a fireball erupted and shot into the sky. He stared in shock at it, suddenly realizing that he must have punctured the gas tank while they were crashing into each other.

Tony came over to help him up.

"At least we don't have to shoot her in front of a bunch of witnesses," he murmured. "But we should get out of here. Before the police show up."

Jack nodded, still in a daze from the explosion, his eyes fixated on the flames. Finally he shook his head and turned to the two women.

"Call me when you get to CTU," he told them. "We'll see you soon."

Nadia and Kim watched as the two men casually walked up to another car, opened the door and hotwired it before they drove off.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

Nadia turned to look at the other woman.

"You don't really want to go back to CTU, do you?"

Kim shook her head. "I was hoping you had an alternate plan."

"I say we follow them."

Kim pondered that for a moment. "They'll probably need help. I doubt Nina's alone. It could even be a trap."

Nadia nodded. "Exactly. So we're agreed?"

Kim thought a moment longer and then nodded her assent. They walked over to their badly beaten car and got in, breathing a collective sigh of relief when it started back up. Ignoring the looks of the crowd, they drove off, following Jack and Tony.


	5. Chapter 5

"You and Nadia seem to have become friends," Jack ventured as they drove toward the waterfront.

Tony smiled. "Just ask what you want to ask, Jack."

Jack laughed. "Alright, then. Is it something more?"

Shrugging, Tony looked over at his friend. "I think it might be. We haven't actually talked about it."

"It's okay, you know."

"What is?"

"To fall in love again."

Tony sighed. "I know. We have a good time together. I can talk to her about anything – even Michelle. I just…I'm comfortable with her. She makes me feel better, even if nothing's wrong." He sighed again. "I don't know. It's just hard."

"Believe me, I understand."

Tony looked at him closely.

"So what about you and Chloe?"

"What about us?"

"I saw how you shut down when you thought she was dead, Jack. The only other times I've seen you do that are for Teri and Kim. That means she's pretty high on the list."

"Aside from you, she's my best friend."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Oh come on, Jack. Everybody can see how you feel about her. Except her, of course."

"Does she…I mean…do you know if…"

"She does, Jack. She has for a long time."

"I almost lost her today," he said quietly.

Tony nodded. "So make sure you don't let another day go by where she doesn't know how you feel. That's not fair to her, Jack. She deserves to know that the man she loves loves her back."

"You're right." He paused. "After we kill Nina."

"Which one of us gets to kill the bitch?"

"I say we both shoot her."

"In the heart?"

"Wouldn't work. She has no heart."

"The head then?"

"Works for me."

88888888888888888888888888

They parked some distance from the warehouses, not wanting to alert Nina to their presence. Walking behind the buildings, they looked for some sign of which one Chloe and Milo were being kept in. As they neared the last one, Jack tapped on Tony's shoulder and pointed. Parked nearby was the car the car he had seen Nina get into earlier. Weapons drawn, they moved in.

The two men circled the building, looking for an unobtrusive way in. All the windows were blacked out or boarded up, and they were unable to see inside. Finally, at the far corner of the building, they found a ladder attached to the outside, leading up to the roof. Without a word, they climbed up it, hoping that they would be able to find access into the warehouse.

When they reached the top, Tony immediately spotted the door leading inside, and he led Jack over to it.

"Is there a plan?" he asked quietly.

"Kill Nina."

"Maybe a bit more specific."

"Shoot her in the head, remember?"

"Jack…"

He sighed. "Fine. I'll work on getting Nina away from Chloe and Milo. I want you to get them and get out."

"I thought we were both going to kill her."

"I need you to take care of Chloe, Tony. Please…"

Tony nodded. "I understand, Jack. Just make sure you put an extra bullet in her for me, okay?"

"Definitely."

Jack opened the door slowly and they crept inside, silent as they moved down the stairs. After a seemingly never-ending set of stairs, they found themselves on a catwalk high above the warehouse floor. His blood ran cold at the sight before them. Milo was lying on the floor unconscious, while Chloe was bound in a chair a little ways away. Nina held a cruel-looking knife as she circled her prey.

Nudging Tony, the two men moved down the catwalk as it descended so that they could hear what was going on.

"How can you still defend him?" Nina was asking. "After all he's done?"

Chloe glared up at her. "All Jack's ever done is save my life and those of other people."

"But it's his fault you're here."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's your fault."

"He's the one that pissed off my employer."

"And I'm guessing that your employer is one of the bad guys. Do you expect me to blame Jack because the bad guys want to hurt him? That just means he's doing his job. You don't hate good because evil hurts you. You hate evil."

"That was touching."

"Go to hell."

"You know why I was hired?"

"Because you're a psychotic bitch?"

"No. That's why Mandy was hired. I was hired because I knew those closest to Jack. Because I could hurt them." She paused. "But I wasn't expecting you."

"Do you have a point?"

"I barely remembered your name from my job in Mexico. But Spencer assured us that you were close to Jack. He told us about how Jack came out of hiding and risked his life to save you."

"Spencer's an ass."

Nina ignored that comment. "Jack sacrificed his chance at freedom for you, Chloe. He made the choice to save your life, and because of that, he spent eighteen months in a Chinese prison." She stopped moving and bent down to look Chloe straight in the eye. "Now why would he do that?"

"Jack takes care of his friends."

Nina looked as though she were considering that. "No. I don't think that's it. Jack will do almost anything for everybody, but he goes to extremes when it comes to the most important people in his life. He offered himself up to the Drazens to get Kim back. He would have done anything for Teri. He and Tony have gone to great lengths for each other, but Tony is his best friend. So what does that make you?"

"We're friends."

"I don't think that's it, Chloe." She paused and gave Chloe an amused look. "I think Jack Bauer is in love with you."

The satisfied look on Nina's face disappeared as Chloe burst out laughing.

"Did I say something funny?"

Chloe tried to regain her composure. "You think that Jack is actually in love with me? How stupid are you?"

"We've been monitoring you. I've seen how he looks at you, how much time he spends with you-"

"We're friends. Seriously – Jack in love with me? I'm nowhere near his league. He likes women like Audrey Raines. Not a computer geek who helps him save the world once in awhile."

Nina's anger rose at the apparent lack of fear in her hostage. "Fine. We'll see about that. We'll see how Jack reacts when he finds your body in little pieces all over this warehouse."

She tightened the grip on her knife and moved in on Chloe. With her attention fully focused on her hostage, she never saw Jack flying down the stairs and lunging at her. He tackled her to the ground, knocking the knife out of her hand and sending it skittering across the floor. Nina slammed her fist into his face, pushing back a little so that she could scramble back to her feet. Grimacing, she moved forward, lifting her foot quickly and kicking Jack just under his chin, sending him backwards, his head making an awful noise as in came in contact with the cement floor. Thinking the battle won, she moved her gaze across the floor, looking for her knife, but it wasn't where she had seen it land. Frowning, she looked around.

A noise to her right caused her head to snap up, but she was too late. Chloe swung the chair she had been sitting on hard into Nina's face, sending the woman flying across the room. She moved towards her, intent on hitting her again, but a groan from Jack caused her to drop the chair and rush to his side.

"Jack? Jack!"

"Ow," he muttered.

"Are you okay?"

"My head hurts."

"That's what happens when you hit it against concrete."

"Nina…"

"I hit her."

"With what?"

"My chair."

"We can't leave her here."

Chloe nodded. "She'll just follow us."

"Help me up."

8888888888888888888888888888

Tony paused as he watched Jack get up off the floor, breathing a sigh of relief. When he had seen his friend go down, he had run down the stairs, intent on killing Nina himself. But Chloe had gotten there first, surprising him with her intensity. Her blow had sent her captor halfway across the floor, where she was now lying, completely still.

A sound behind him made him spin around, his weapon at the ready.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he whispered in anger.

Nadia looked him square in the eye. "You didn't really expect us to stay behind, did you?"

"Jack's going to kill you both."

Kim shrugged. "My dad will forgive me anything."

"Not if you're dead."

"Look," Nadia said. "You and Jack have a penchant for getting in trouble. So we figured we'd follow and help you out."

"You need to leave. We've got it handled-"

A sudden explosion below shook the catwalk, and all three of them grabbed the railing for support.

"What the hell is going on?" Kim yelled.

Tony looked down and grimaced.

"Nina's rigged the place to blow. Come on. We've got to get down there and get the others out."

88888888888888888888888888888

Jack held onto Chloe tightly as the explosion rocked the floor beneath them. Looking up, he saw Nina standing on the far side of the warehouse, the window next to her smashed open.

"See you around, Jack!" she called as she leapt outside.

"We need to get out of here!" Chloe yelled.

Another explosion went off, and Jack cursed himself for not making a better check of the building before coming in. Nina had obviously set charges around it, and she had a remote to set them off whenever she wanted to. He opened his mouth to say this to Chloe, but was distracted as Tony came racing towards them, Kim and Nadia in tow.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked anxiously, his fear spiking as his daughter ran past him and knelt beside Milo.

"It doesn't matter," Tony answered as Nadia opened her mouth. "They're here. And we have to go before Nina blows this whole place."

Another explosion erupted above them, and pieces of the ceiling came crashing down. They all dove to the side, narrowly missing being hit by debris. Jack sat up quickly, checking to make sure everyone was alright. His daughter wasn't there.

"Kim? Kim!"

"I'm okay, Dad!"

His eyes snapped toward the wall of burning debris in front of him. Kim's voice was coming from the other side.

"Can you get back over here?"

There was silence as Kim looked around.

"No! But I can get out from this side. I've got Milo – we'll meet up with you outside!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Get the others out, Daddy! We'll be fine. We'll see you outside!"

Chloe laid a gentle hand on Jack's arm. "She's right, Jack."

He looked at her, the tears in his eyes glowing from the flames burning nearby.

"She'll be okay?"

Chloe nodded. "She knows how to take care of herself. We'll meet her outside, just like she said."

He took a deep breath. "Alright, let's get out here."

Tony grabbed Nadia's hand and pulled her along toward the windows to the their right. Picking up the chair that Chloe had discarded, he threw it through the glass, instantly shattering it. He hoisted Nadia up and out, turning to see that Jack and Chloe were still talking some distance back.

"Jack! Chloe! Let's go!"

His yell pulled them out of their reverie and they moved toward him. Suddenly, another charge went off in the ceiling, bringing the catwalk down. Tony threw himself outside, trying to get out of the way of the falling steel. As he rolled across the pavement, he looked up in dismay. There was no way Jack and Chloe could get out the window now.

88888888888888888888888888888

When Jack saw that they couldn't follow Tony and Nadia, he wasted no time in pulling Chloe toward the same exit Nina had used. They ran quickly, the explosions coming closer together now and the girders of the warehouse groaning under the impact.

88888888888888888888888888888

The last explosion was the biggest. Fire erupted into the sky as the warehouse collapsed in on itself, burying everything within under a dense pile of burning rubble.


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of the explosions shook Milo back into consciousness. Blinking rapidly, he looked around, surprised when he saw Kim leaning over him, worry evident in her face.

"What happened?" he asked. Then as it started to come back to him, he sat up suddenly, ignoring the pain in his head. "Chloe! Nina has Chloe! We have to-"

"It's okay, Milo. My dad and Tony showed up. Nina didn't hurt Chloe."

He breathed a sigh of relief, both for the fact that his friend was alright and that Jack wouldn't hunt him down and kill him for letting something happen to her. As he continued to look around, he frowned.

"Where is everybody?"

Kim sighed. "Nina set charges all over the warehouse. We all had to go out different ways. Do you think you can stand?"

He nodded, wincing at the effort. Kim hooked an arm under his, helping him back to his feet. Milo stood still for a few moments, trying to balance himself and get his bearings. The rubble around them was still smoldering and burning, and he prayed that the others got out in time.

"Let's find them," he suggested, moving forward.

A movement far to his left caught his attention, and he stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Kim to do the same.

"Shit."

"What?"

Kim's eyes followed the line of his gaze, and her heart plummeted into her stomach when she saw Mandy coming toward them.

"I thought she was dead!"

"Why?"

"Dad ran her off the road and then the car exploded. She must have gotten out while we were talking."

"Well, we could stick around and ask her, or we could get out of here."

Kim looked around them. "Downtown's not too far. Maybe we can lose her in the people there."

"Let's go."

Taking her hand, Milo ran toward the streets behind them and into the city.

8888888888888888888888888888

Tony coughed and sat up as the smoke around him cleared. Shaking his head to try and clear his mind, he looked around frantically for Nadia. She was a few feet away from him, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. There were cuts and bruises on her skin, but otherwise she seemed okay.

"You alright?" he called.

She nodded. "You?"

He coughed again. "I think so."

"Did you see if the others got out okay?"

He shook his head. "Come on. We'll look for them."

Tony stood up and walked over to her, offering a hand to help her up. Nadia took it gratefully, and then continued to hold his hand as they stood facing each other. He reached out to brush some soot from her hair, giving her a small smile. Opening his mouth to say something, he stopped suddenly, his gaze focused on something behind her.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly, turning around.

They stared in shock as they saw Kim and Milo running towards Downtown, Mandy in pursuit.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Nadia exclaimed.

"She must have slipped out of the car before it exploded."

"We can't let her get Kim and Milo. Come on." She moved forward, tugging on his hand.

"What about Jack and Chloe?"

Nadia looked at him for a moment. "If they got out, they'll be okay. We'll call them when we get a chance. For now, we need to make sure Mandy doesn't kill Kim. That's the best way we can help Jack right now."

Hesitating for only a second longer, Tony finally nodded his head and they ran off after the others.

8888888888888888888888888888

"Chloe," Jack rasped as he tried to stand up.

He looked around wildly, unable to find her. Panic rose in his chest as he thought for the second time that day that she had been blown up because of him. But then there were gentle hands on his shoulders, slowly helping him up. He turned to see Chloe smiling at him.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied. "You're okay?"

She nodded. "Few cuts from the glass, but nothing serious."

Jack smiled, but it quickly disappeared as another thought descended on him.

"Kim!" he gasped.

"Don't worry, Jack. She got out. We'll find her." She looked across the street as she thought, distracted by the sirens wailing in the distance. Staring at the people that were gawking at the rubble, her attention was caught by a brunette moving _against_ the crowd.

"Jack!"

"What?"

"Nina – she's heading into the city!"

He turned, quickly spotting the woman who had tried to kill them multiple times. Grabbing Chloe's hand, he pulled her into a run, following Nina.

8888888888888888888888888888

They moved quickly through the crowded streets, trying to keep a clear view of Nina without giving themselves away. She moved confidently, and Jack found himself wondering if she believed them to be dead. There was very little left of the warehouse, and if she hadn't stuck around long to watch, she wouldn't have seen them run outside just before the final blast.

Suddenly, she turned, sticking her hand out as she tried to wave down a taxi cab. Jack stopped in his tracks and quickly pulled Chloe into an embrace, burying his face in her hair. He felt her stiffen against him.

"Just play along," he whispered. "I don't want her to recognize us."

She took a deep breath and relaxed against him, tightening her arms around his waist and nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. Breathing him in, she closed her eyes, wishing that this was real, and not just an act to save them. Chloe chastised herself for thinking about that when their lives were in danger, and told herself to just enjoy it as long as she could, because soon they'd be running again.

The embrace was over far too soon for him, but Jack knew that they had to focus on the task at hand, and not their feelings for each other. Nina had hopped into the back of a cab that was already wading through traffic, and he didn't want to lose track of her. Looking around, he grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her along behind him.

They approached a man getting into an old Mercedes Benz. Without hesitation, Jack grabbed the back of the man's collar and threw him to the ground. He bent down and quickly snatched the keys out his hand, motioning for Chloe to get into the passenger seat. She watched him with wide eyes, but complied, wondering how they were going to get anywhere with a car that was stolen in front of multiple witnesses.

"You're insane. You know that, right?" she said as soon as Jack got in and shut his door.

"Yes."

He pushed his way into the street and followed Nina's taxi.

888888888888888888888888888

Kim tried not to break into a run. She knew it would only attract attention and make it easier for Mandy to find them. Instead, she restrained herself to a brisk walk, her hand clutching Milo's as they wove through the crowds on the sidewalks.

"We need to get off this street," he mumbled.

"We have a chance of blending in here," she whispered back.

"Yeah, but we don't know where she is, and we can't watch every direction at once."

Looking around, an idea suddenly jumped into Kim's mind. Biting her lip in thought, she forced herself to make an executive decision. Pulling Milo along, she crossed the street and headed for a nightclub. At the door, they showed their I.D. and went inside, instantly surrounded by many more people than there were outside. Without a word, Kim pulled Milo through the crowd, looking for a place where they could lay low.

When they were halfway across the dance floor, she turned to look behind her. Their entrance into the club apparently hadn't gone unnoticed, and she saw Mandy walking in. Fear flared in her chest for the hundredth time that day, and she looked around wildly. There were too many people for them to make it to the exit in enough time. Kim could feel Mandy closing in on them, the assassin's eyes drifting through the crowds as she hunted for her prey. Desperate, Kim's eyes fell on a couple standing nearby and she got an idea.

"Come on," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the music.

Milo followed her to a side wall, frowning in confusion.

"Kim, what the hell are we going to do? Mandy's here – we have no way out!"

"Just shut up," Kim retorted.

Turning, she backed herself into the wall, taking the front of Milo's shirt in her hands and pulling him against her. Before he could protest, she crashed her lips into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him as closely as he could. She prayed that he would understand her plan and not make a scene. This was their only chance at escaping notice – to blend in with the other couples making out all around them.

Although he tensed at first, Milo quickly relaxed into the kiss. His arms came around her waist, one hand inching up under shirt and up her back. He pressed his body against hers, holding her tightly against the wall. Kim's tongue darted out to taste his lips, and he automatically opened his mouth, letting her in. Her fingers rose to tangle in his hair as their kisses become more passionate, Milo's hands moving up and down her back and sides. Kim moaned slightly into his mouth and he tightened his embrace, suddenly unable to feel enough of her.

88888888888888888888888888888888

Tony and Nadia watched from a distance as Mandy followed Kim and Milo into the club. They had guessed Kim's move when she had struck out across the street, but her hoping that Mandy wouldn't notice. They had no such luck.

"I know what Kim was thinking, but they'll be trapped in there," Nadia said.

"I know. So what do we do about it?"

"We have to help them."

He nodded, his mind racing.

"I'll let her see me. She'd rather come after me than Kim anyway."

"What? Are you crazy? Tony, she'll kill you."

"I stand a better chance against her than Kim and Milo do."

Nadia glared at him. "I'm coming with you."

"No. There's no reason for you to put yourself in any more danger. They were never after you."

"Don't you get it? That doesn't matter! You're my friend. I care about you. I'm not letting that bitch take you away from me!"

Tony smiled at her anger. He didn't want to risk her life, but the fact that she cared enough to put herself in harm's way with him sent a feeling of warmth straight to his chest.

"Okay," he said gently. "But you have to promise me you'll be careful."

"I'll be as careful as you are," she said, looking both ways and crossing the street.

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," he muttered as he followed.

88888888888888888888888888888888

After showing their I.D.'s, Nadia and Tony walked purposefully toward the middle of the dance floor, making no effort to hide their entrance. Worried that Mandy would miss them in the crowd, though, Tony led Nadia through the dancers and to the bar, hoping that they would be more visible there.

As the bartender leaned over to ask them what they wanted, Nadia turned and caught sight of Mandy. The woman had spotted them and was now moving toward them. Turning back around as casually as she could, she nudged Tony.

"She's seen us."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah. She's headed straight for us."

Tony risked a glance over his shoulder and saw that Mandy was much closer than he anticipated. Not wasting anymore time, he touched Nadia's elbow and motioned that they should move to the side. They moved toward the back of the club quickly, knowing that once Mandy had set her sights on them, she wouldn't let them go.

They found a dark stairway and took it, hoping that they would be able to find someplace to set a trap. The stairs led to an even darker hallway, and Nadia felt her skin crawl at the dirtiness of the place. They moved to the end of the hall and Tony turned the knob of the last door on their right. It was locked, but he stepped back and kicked it open, pushing her through in front of him.

There was another set of stairs, but these were pitch dark. Nadia felt her way up them as quickly as she could without toppling over and making more noise. She eventually felt another door under her hands, and she fumbled to find the handle. Suddenly finding it, she wrenched the door open and hurried onto the roof, gratefully breathing in the cool night air.

88888888888888888888888888888888

Mandy opened the door to the roof cautiously, certain that Yassir and Almeida had come that way. None of the neighboring buildings were close enough to jump to, so she knew that she would either find them here or trying to scramble down a fire escape. Either way, she had them.

Pain flared in her head as someone kicked her knees out from under her and the back of her skull collided with the roof. Instinctively, she moved to raise her gun, but a foot slammed down on her wrist, twisting and causing her more pain. Her fingers loosened their grip and her weapon was kicked away.

She was unceremoniously dragged up by her hair, and she found herself staring into the rage-filled face of Tony Almeida.

"It's been awhile, Mandy," he spat out. "How have you been?"

Not waiting for an answer, he punched her in the face, letting go of her hair as she stumbled backwards. He pulled back for another hit, but this time she was ready for him and she grabbed his fist. Kicking him in the face, she aimed another blow at his stomach, causing him to double over. She bent down to grab her second gun out of her ankle holster, but Tony charged at her, lowering his shoulders and then lifting them as they collided with her torso.

Mandy felt herself flying through the air as he continued moving forward, practically carrying her across the roof. His momentum took them right to the edge and she felt a sort of weightlessness as his hands let go of her body.

8888888888888888888888888888888

Tony watched in grim satisfaction as Mandy went flying off the roof and crashing down to the pavement below. He couldn't hear the sound of impact over the music coming from downstairs, but he was sure that there had been a crunch. He paused then, remembering how they had been so sure that she had died in the car explosion earlier.

Without a word to Nadia, he descended back down to the dark hallway, and then to the club, his stride confident and purposeful. She hurried to follow him, wondering where they were going next, and why it had to be in such a hurry. He led them through the crowds and out the back exit, into a narrow alley.

There before them lay Mandy's body, blood seeping out from the back of her head. Her fingers twitched slightly and her mouth moved, but anyone could see that the life was quickly draining out of her.

Tony didn't slow at all as he walked towards her. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at her, sending three bullets into her chest and one into her head. Nadia stared at him in disbelief as he stared at the woman's body.

"Feel better?" she finally asked.

"You have no idea," he said quietly.

A sudden commotion behind them made them turn around quickly, Tony raising his gun again. They both sighed in relief as they saw Milo and Kim coming out of the club and walking toward them.

"Is she finally dead?" Kim asked when she saw Mandy.

"If she's not, I say we officially brand her as non-human," Nadia replied.

"Are you two alright?" Tony asked.

Milo nodded. "You?"

"Yeah."

Tony pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jack's number.

"Bauer."

"Jack, it's Tony."

"Thank God! You're alright then? What about the others?"

"Nadia and I are with Milo and Kim. We're all fine." He paused. "Mandy found us again."

"What!? The car she was in exploded!"

"Well, she got out."

"Do you know where she is right now?"

"She's dead."

"But you just said-"

"She followed Milo and Kim into the city. We followed her. I just threw her off a roof and put four bullets into her. I think we can safely say she's dead now."

Jack was silent for a moment. "Thank you, Tony. For saving her."

"Anytime, Jack. So where are you guys?"

"We followed Nina. She took a taxi to some big house on West Spring Street. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I want you and Nadia to meet us here. I think we're about to figure out who's behind all of this, and I want as much help as I can get."

"Okay. What about Kim and Milo?"

"They go back to CTU. No arguments."

Tony moved the phone and relayed the plan to the others. This time, Kim went along easily, realizing that she was out of her depth, and her father would be able to neutralize the threat better if he weren't worried about her.

"Alright, Jack. They've agreed and we're getting them into a taxi now. Give me that address and we'll see you soon."

88888888888888888888888888888888

Their plan was simple. They couldn't wait for Tony and Nadia to get to them – chances were that the person who had ordered the hits was inside that house, and Jack wasn't willing to let them go. So he and Chloe would sneak into the house at separate entry points and move through the house, eventually meeting in the front hall. Jack hadn't want to split up, but he knew that if they tried to get in together, they were more likely to be noticed. They decided that he would come in from one of the upstairs bedrooms, and Chloe would enter from the kitchen pantry.

He handed her a gun, his fingers lingering as they brushed against her skin. Looking into her eyes, he swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. Pushing his fears to the side, Jack leaned in and kissed her gently. Chloe responded immediately, pushing lips against his and cradling his face in her hands. All too soon he pulled back.

"Please be careful," he whispered.

"You too."

They moved away from each other and into the shadows.

88888888888888888888888888888888

Chloe wasn't too surprised to find the pantry door unlocked. She imagined that whoever worked in the kitchen would keep it open so that they could move the trash out more easily and then lock it before they went home for the night. She snuck through the door quietly, her held tightly at her side. The kitchen was brightly lit, and she suddenly worried that the cook was still there and that she would have to knock him or her out. She had never been good at the action stuff.

A sudden blow to the side of her face sent her sprawling across the linoleum floor. Her gun flew away and toward the refrigerator. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but a foot came crashing down onto her left arm. She gasped in pain and looked up.

Nina Myers looked down at her with a cruel smile.

"Hello, Chloe."

8888888888888888888888888888888

Jack slid his body through the open window and set his feet on the carpet. He had climbed up the gutter as quietly as he could and was relieved to find an easy way in. The room he was in was dark, the only light coming from the moon outside. Jack stood there for a minute, letting his eyes adjust to the shadows. He looked around him, but the room seemed to be a guest bedroom. Pulling out his gun, he moved cautiously into the hall.

The hallway was long and stretched out before him. A staircase descended at the midway point, and Jack was pretty certain that that would lead him to the front hall where he was supposed to meet Chloe. He moved forward slowly, staying alert to any noises that would signal the presence of someone else.

As he passed by another room, he heard voices. Pausing, he moved closer to the door, straining to hear what was going on inside. One of the voices sounded tantalizingly familiar and Jack knew that this had to be the person that was behind it all.

Momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be meeting Chloe, he suddenly decided that he needed to take action. He turned and kicked the door open, his gun out in front of him.

He felt multiple weapons being trained on him as he realized that he was surrounded.

"Agent Bauer. What an unexpected pleasure."

Jack's head snapped around as he recognized the voice.

Cheng smiled coldly as he aimed his own weapon at the agent.


	7. Chapter 7

Cheng's men quickly disarmed Jack. One of them pulled up a chair and forced the agent into it, while two others began restraining him with tightly knotted ropes. Jack didn't take his eyes off of his captor for one second. He wanted to fight back, wanted to kill the man that had tortured him for eighteen months. But he knew that he was sorely outnumbered, and that he would have to bide his time and wait for an opportunity to strike.

"Agent Bauer," Cheng cooed, satisfaction evident in his voice. "I'm so glad you could drop by."

"So you're the one behind all this?" Jack asked, straining to keep his emotions under control. "You're the one who tried to kill my daughter, my friends?"

Cheng shrugged. "Our time together was so short. I didn't get to fully explain to you China's displeasure with your actions in our consulate."

"Then why didn't you just come after me?"

His captor snapped his fingers and one of his men brought him a chair. He sat, a small smile playing on his face.

"I have known many men like you, Agent Bauer. I know that you have done terrible things; that you have seen more than your fair share of tragedy and horrors. To kill you would achieve nothing. Death would be a sort of peace for you. I can see it in your eyes – you long for rest. But it is different with those close to you. You have lost so much, that it makes your loved ones even more dear to you. The knowledge that you were the reason they had been hunted down like animals and slaughtered would slowly drive you insane. The guilt would eat away at you day after day. You would hate yourself, and eventually self-destruct."

"You bastard," Jack spat out, anger flooding him. "You filthy coward. Admit it, Cheng – you knew you couldn't beat me. You knew that if you sent men after me, they would lose. You were afraid to face me. Just like you are now."

"Why do you think I am afraid?"

He sneered. "Look around. You surround yourselves with bodyguards. You know that if they weren't here, you'd already be dead."

"But they are here. And I'm not dead."

"But you failed. My friends are still alive. Your assassins have been killed."

"Not all of them."

"I'll take care of Nina when I'm through with you."

Cheng suddenly laughed. "Don't worry, Agent Bauer. Ms. Meyers will be up here soon enough. She is just fetching something for me."

"Fetching what?"

"Your friend, Ms. O'Brian. My guards saw her sneaking in. I sent Nina to capture her for me. She's going to bring her up here, and then I'm going to kill her while you watch, helpless. Ms. O'Brian will be facing you when it happens, and you'll be able to see the blame and accusation in her eyes as she realizes that you are the reason she's about to die."

"Son of a bitch!" Jack roared, struggling against his bonds. "You leave her alone!"

"Yes, Ms. O'Brian means quite a lot to you, doesn't she? Almost as much your daughter."

"Take me instead," Jack pled, his shoulders sagging when he realized that he couldn't break free. "Kill me instead."

"And spare you the pain?" Cheng asked. "I don't think so, Agent Bauer."

888888888888888888888

"I really didn't expect you to make it out of the warehouse alive," Nina said as she continued to point her gun at Chloe.

"Not very smart, are you?" the analyst shot back.

"Now, now," Nina scolded. "There's no need to be rude."

Something inside of Chloe snapped. This woman had been torturing Jack emotionally for years. She had tried to kill all of them more than once that day, and suddenly she was filled with rage. Chloe couldn't let her hurt Jack anymore.

Giving Nina a hard glare, she scissored her legs and kicked the other woman's legs out from under her. She crashed to the ground, and Chloe leapt to her feet, slamming one foot down on Nina's right wrist and using the other to kick the gun out of her hand. The weapon went skittering across the tiled floor as the analyst landed a solid blow to Nina's ribs. The other woman groaned, but reached out and caught Chloe's next kick, pushing hard and forcing her backwards. As she struggled to regain her balance, Nina got up from the floor and rushed at her. The two women were relentless in their fight. Fists lashed out and hair was grabbed. Nails drew blood and they slammed each other into every surface the kitchen provided.

No words were spoken. They had said all that needed to be said, and their loathing for the other had been made apparent. Each were struggling for control of a man that was central in their lives; Nina sought to destroy him, Chloe to save him. Neither had anything left – it all came down to this.

8888888888888888888888

Milo tried not to fidget as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. He and Kim had gotten back to CTU without incident. With Mandy finally dead, it was much easier to move around safely. They had come in and informed Bill of what they knew, but he couldn't send a team without a location. With no other leads, Milo had sat down at his station and hacked into Mandy's bank accounts.

The problem was that Kim was leaning over him, her chin right over his shoulder, her face right next to his. He could smell her shampoo, and the smell was frustratingly distracting. It was like a mixture of strawberries and…kiwi. It was the kiwi that was going straight to his head. Sighing, he tried once again to focus on what he was doing.

"Are you alright?" Kim asked, turning to face him, bringing her lips within inches of his cheek.

He nodded without looking at her. "I'm fine."

"Look at me."

"I'm fine, Kim."

"Look at me."

Milo just stared at the computer screen, forcing his fingers to type as he continued his work. He knew that if he looked at her, it would be over. His concentration would be completely shot and she'd be able to see the effect she was having on him.

Kim sighed, deciding that this was ridiculous.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

"What?" Milo exclaimed, caught off-guard by her question.

"It's a simple question, Milo. Do you want to go out on a date with me?"

He opened his mouth to answer, still unsure of exactly what he was going to say, when something on the screen caught his eye.

"Oh my God," he whispered.

Kim looked at him in surprise and then turned her gaze on the computer.

"What? What did you find?"

"Mandy received a lot of money about two weeks ago."

"From who?"

"Cheng."

"Should I know who that is?"

Milo looked up at her, a pained expression on his face.

"He's the man who tortured your father for eighteen months."

The information hit Kim like a brick. She felt her heart plummet into her stomach as she numbly watched Milo pick up the phone and punch in a number.

"Almeida."

"Tony, it's Milo."

"What's wrong? Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. We made it back to CTU. Look, we know who's behind all this."

"How?"

"Money routed to Mandy's bank account. She was paid a shit load of money a couple of weeks ago."

"By who?"

"Cheng."

"You're kidding me."

"I really wish I was."

"Alright, Nadia and I are almost to the address Jack gave us. If this is where Nina went, I bet Cheng is here too."

"Be careful, Tony. It could be a trap."

"We will."

Milo hung up the phone and looked closely at Kim. She was staring blankly at the floor, shock on her face. Gently, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kim? Are you okay?"

She looked up, tears in her eyes.

"I'm just worried. The two people in this world who hate my father the most are trying to kill him."

"He'll be okay. Jack knows how to take care of himself. And he's not alone. Tony, Nadia and Chloe are there with him."

She nodded, but still couldn't seem to focus her eyes. Milo pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. She hugged him back, her arms coming to rest around his lower back.

"Did you mean what you said?" he asked suddenly.

"When?"

"Just now. When you asked me out."

"Yes."

He couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his face.

"Then I'd love to take you out."

She pulled back.

"Really? This isn't just because my dad is in mortal danger and you feel sorry for me?"

Milo chuckled. "Kim, ever since you kissed me, I haven't been able to think straight. Hell, the smell of your shampoo has been distracting the living daylights out of me ever since we started hacking into the accounts."

She smiled. "Oh."

"So after this is over…I can take you out?"

She nodded. "I'd really like that."

8888888888888888888888888

They were both starting to tire. They were bruised and hurting, and their hits were becoming more erratic and more sluggish. They circled each other more and more, both trying to catch their breath as they prepared for another attack.

Inwardly, Nina was confused. She had never expected the little computer analyst to put up much of a fight. But she had obviously underestimated the woman. Chloe obviously had strong feelings for Jack, and her anger at Nina fueled her on. Despite her bruised ribs and aching body, she refused to go down, refused to give her a chance to get to Jack.

Her eyes flicked around the room desperately, searching for some weapon within reach that she could use against Chloe. Her gaze resting on something on the counter, she moved forward suddenly, slamming her hands into the other woman's chest. Chloe stumbled backwards, caught off-guard by the sudden attack. Nina reached over and grabbed a knife from the sink. Seeing what the other woman was going for, Chloe kicked out hastily, knocking Nina's legs out from under her. As she went crashing down, she lunged forward, sinking the knife into Chloe's calf. The analyst let out a pained cry, as she fell to the floor, clutching her leg.

Seeing her opponent down, Nina got to her feet and landed a swift kick to Chloe's ribs. The blow slammed the analyst against the corner of the island, causing pain to shoot through her body. Leaning over, Nina pulled the knife out of her leg, smiling at the cry that escaped the analyst's mouth.

"Well, well, Chloe. Looks like this is the end of the line for you."

Chloe looked around desperately, knowing that if she didn't do something right away, Nina was going to kill her. As her head turned to look behind the island, her eyes focused on the gun that had been knocked out of her hands earlier. Hope flared in her chest as she reached out her right hand and tried to grab hold of the weapon.

Nina smile grew as she saw the panic and desperation in her opponent's eyes. She was supposed to bring Chloe upstairs so that Cheng could kill her in front of Jack, but she thought that dumping her dead body in front of her former lover would have the desired effect. Kneeling, she raised the knife, preparing to plunge it straight into her heart.

Chloe got a firm grip on the handle and swung the gun up in front of her, pulling the trigger without any hesitation. Blood exploded all over her as the bullet ripped through Nina's face, instantly killing her. The body fell slowly to the side, the knife clattering to the floor as it was released by lifeless hands.

8888888888888888888888888

Tony and Nadia had just gotten out of the car when they heard the shot. Sharing a fear-filled look, they rushed toward the front door, crashing through it and pulling it off one of its hinges. Their weapons out, they spun around the entryway, looking for any signs of danger.

They both jumped when Chloe came barreling out of the kitchen to their right. Nadia grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to stop and look at her.

"Chloe? What the hell happened? Are you alright?"

She nodded, her eyes a little wild.

"I'm okay, I think. I mean, I just got the crap kicked out me, and I was stabbed in the leg, but I'll live."

"The blood, Chloe," Tony urged. "Where did the blood come from?"

She looked down at her body, holding her hands out in front of her; she stared as though she hadn't noticed the blood before. Finally, she shook her head and forced her brain to focus again. When she looked back up at Tony and Nadia, her eyes were clear.

"Nina. She tried to kill me. I blew her head off."

Nadia's eyes widened as Tony let out a low whistle.

"Where's Jack?" he asked.

"I don't know."

A sudden sound from upstairs made all of them turn toward the stairs.

"Guess that answers that question," Nadia mumbled.

888888888888888888888888

Jack had heard the gunshot, and it made his blood run cold. Images of Chloe's lifeless body floated through his mind, bringing tears to his eyes that he desperately tried to blink back. Cheng watched him with a vicious smile.

"It seems Ms. Meyers got impatient. I hear someone coming up the steps. Do you think she'll be carrying her dying body, or dragging her corpse in?"

Jack could hear the footsteps now, too, and dread build steadily in his chest. His lungs constricted, making it difficult for him to breathe as he tried to brace himself for whatever was about to come through that door.

The door burst open and the room erupted in chaos. Instead of Nina striding into the room with her smug look of victory, he saw Tony and Nadia and Chloe rushing inside, their guns held out in front of them. He nearly sobbed with relief when he realized that the blood covering Chloe couldn't be hers; he knew now that it had been she who had fired the gun, killing or at least neutralizing Nina.

She ran towards him as Tony and Nadia focused on the guards in the room. Taking what looked like a kitchen knife out of her back pocket, she cut the ropes that bound him. Before he had time to say anything to her, they were under attack, fighting for their lives.

As he killed the man that lunged at him, Jack looked around the room. His eyes rested on Cheng as the man was slipping out the door. The adrenaline screaming in his brain, he immediately ran after him, pushing aside and stepping over any guards that blocked his path.

He caught up to Cheng at the top of the stairs. Without any hesitation, he threw himself forward, tackling the man and sending them both rolling down the stairs. They hit the bottom hard, but Jack's rage fueled him on. As Cheng struggled to get up, he scrambled to his feet and ran up behind him. While the other man was still on his knees, Jack reached around and grabbed his head, holding it tightly. With a quick jerk, he snapped the man's neck and let go of his body, letting it drop to the floor with a thud.

No words could express the relief that flooded through him. The figure in his nightmares, the man who had tried to kill the few people he had left in his life, was finally dead. He was finally safe.

He looked up as he heard movement on the stairs. His friends descended slowly, looking bruised and beaten, but victorious. No sounds came from the room they had left, and Jack knew that it was over. Tony came over to stand beside him, staring down at Cheng's body.

"Feel better?" he asked quietly.

"More than you could ever know."

Tony nodded, lifting his eyes to meet Nadia's. She gave him a small smile, but he could tell that she was near the breaking point. The stress and tension of the day was finally hitting her. Returning her smile, he walked towards her, pulling her against him. He brought a hand up and let his fingers move through her hair as he held her tightly. Her hands came up to wrap around his waist, and her head rested against his chest as they both soaked in the feel of the other.

Jack watched them, a smile on his face. After everything they had been through, they deserved to be happy. He was glad that Tony had found some semblance of peace since Michelle's death, and he thought that he and Nadia made a good fit. Turning, he let his eyes rest on Chloe, his eyes brimming at the relief he felt at seeing her alive and well. She smiled at him nervously before striding up to him, taking his face in her hands and bringing his lips to hers. His arms snaked around her immediately, pulling her closer and returned the kiss. He had waited so long to tell her how he felt, always held back by fear and guilt. But they were safe now, and he let himself sink into her.


	8. Epilogue

Kim laughed as the man handed her a gigantic brown bear. Holding it in front of her chest, she had to crane her neck around the stuffed animal so that she could see where she was going.

"I can't believe you won me a teddy bear."

"I think that qualifies as more than just a teddy bear."

She laughed again. "I think you're right."

Milo smiled at her, enjoying the sound of her laughter. Their first date was going incredibly well, and he couldn't believe how much fun he was having. Never in a million years would he have guessed that he would go out with Kim Bauer. But to his surprise, they had a lot in common. There were no awkward silences as they tried to find something to talk about. They discussed movies and music. They laughed at some of the people they saw milling around the carnival. Most importantly, they just enjoyed each other's company. Milo found himself being thankful that just a couple days ago they had been fighting for their lives. If Jack had never called him, he never would have found out that he and Kim were such a perfect fit.

"So what did you and my dad talk about?" she asked suddenly, as though she could read his mind.

"The usual."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Milo laughed. "He threatened me. Told me that if I broke your heart, he would have to break my neck. And then he told me that he really didn't want to do that, since he actually kinda likes me."

Kim rolled her eyes. "My dad is such a dork."

"Yeah, but he cares about you. He just wants you to be happy. And I'm way better than that Barry guy."

"You never even met Barry."

"Yeah, but I've heard about him."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "From who?"

"Your dad. Chloe. Chloe _really_ hated him."

She grimaced. "Yeah, he tried to "council" her after she watched Edgar die."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Dad wasn't too happy with that, either. He doesn't like it when anybody interferes with Chloe."

"That's because your dad is head over heels in love with our snarky little computer nerd."

She rolled her eyes again. "Tell me about it. But at least now they've admitted it."

They walked on then, Kim trying to ignore the tiredness that seeped through to her bones. She still didn't feel fully recuperated from their ordeal. Milo had told her that their date could wait until she felt better, but she had found herself really looking forward to going out with him. For now, they were taking things slow, but she liked where they were headed; she felt comfortable with Milo in a way that she hadn't with anybody else since Chase. He probably couldn't rescue her from terrorists, but he would try. And he held her tightly whenever they embraced, letting her know that she was safe with him no matter what she said or did.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked, and Kim was surprised at the lingering fear she heard at the edge of his voice.

Shifting the bear so that one of her arms was free, she reached over and placed her hand in his.

"I'm having a great time."

888888888888888888888888

Nadia fumed as she parked her car in the lot behind Tony's building. Their nightmarish ordeal had ended two days ago, and she hadn't heard from him since. She figured that he needed to rest, that he was probably passed out in bed. But her patience was wearing thin, and she had paced her apartment restlessly before finally giving in and grabbing her keys.

She practically ran up the three flights to his apartment, pausing outside of his door in a brief moment of hesitation. But then she remembered how he had held her after Cheng was killed, and her resolve strengthened once again. Emboldened, she knocked loudly.

The door opened, and she found herself staring at Tony. He looked at her in surprise, as though she were the last person he expected to see. They stood there for a minute, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Nadia decided that they were being ridiculous.

"I'm sick of waiting for you," she said.

She stepped into the apartment then, bringing her body right up against his. Wordlessly, she took his face in her hands and kissed him softly. Almost immediately, Tony raised his hands and tangled them in her hair, pulling her closer. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, groaning as her hands slid down to rest on his waist. Bringing his own hands down, he wrapped one arm around her while the other flailed around until he found the door.

Without breaking their kiss, he pulled her further into the apartment and swung the door shut.

8888888888888888888888888

Jack sat on a chair in the kitchen, his forearms resting on his thighs as he watched Chloe do the dishes. She had been staying with him since their harrowing adventure had ended, seeing as how her house had been destroyed. That morning was the first time they had woken up and stayed up. Once that got home after their visit to the hospital, they had both crashed in Jack's bed, sleeping for the better part of two days. He had finally decided that they needed to get up and came downstairs to make them breakfast. In return, Chloe had insisted that she do the dishes.

"Don't," she said suddenly.

He looked at her in confusion.

"Don't what?"

"I know you're staring at my leg. I don't want you beating yourself up with guilt. I'm fine, and it wasn't your fault anyway."

"I wasn't feeling guilty."

She looked at him in surprise.

"You always feel guilty."

He shook his head.

"Not anymore."

She turned around and leaned back on the counter.

"What were you doing then?"

He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Thanking God that you're alive. That I didn't lose you."

She gave him a small smile before pushing away from the counter and walking towards him. Standing between his legs, she held his head against her stomach and ran her fingers through his short hair. His hands came up to rest on her hips as he breathed her in.

"I'm glad I didn't lose you either," she said quietly.

"I love you," he murmured against the skin where her tank top had ridden up.

A smile grew on Chloe's face before she could stop it.

"I love you too."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

"It's okay, Jack. I-"

Her words were cut off as Jack's lips trailed across her stomach. He kissed her skin slowly, his tongue snaking out and his hands taking a firmer grip on her waist.

"Jack," she breathed.

"Shhh," he whispered against her, tickling her stomach.

He pressed his lips against her more firmly as his fingers tugged her shirt up a little more. Then his hands drifted lower and toyed with the drawstring of her sweatpants. Chloe tried to speak, but her brain refused to function as he continued to kiss her. She closed her eyes and gasped as his fingers hooked the waistband of her pants and began to move them slowly down her legs, taking her underwear with them. As he pulled them lower, his mouth moved down as well, causing her to grab the kitchen table next to her, her legs threatening to give way.

Jack pressed his fingers into her skin, steadying her. His mouth moved even lower, his tongue dragging through her dark curls. Her breathing grew more erratic as he reached her core. His tongue darted out, tasting her over and over again as she moaned his name, unable to stop the responses of her body. She bucked against him, one hand still tangled in his hair and holding his head against her. His teeth grazed her clit and she cried out, begging him to touch her even more. Jack complied, bringing one hand around and thrusting two fingers up inside of her. Chloe moaned, jerking against him, feeling her orgasm building. His tongue and fingers moving against her, her cries grew louder as she called his name over and over again. Then she came, her body shuddering as she felt herself let go.

She sagged against him, and Jack pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Brushing the hair out of her face, he kissed her lips gently.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"That was amazing," she whispered, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck.

"I was hoping you'd like it," he smiled.

Chloe shifted to get into a more comfortable position, but pulled back slightly when she felt his erection pressing into her thigh. She pushed herself up until she could turn and straddle him. Then she ground her hips against his, eliciting a throaty groan from him.

"I think it's time to take care of you," she murmured as she nipped at his earlobe.

"Upstairs?" he suggested.

"What's wrong with kitchen floor?" she asked coyly, grinding her hips again.

"Absolutely nothing," he breathed, sliding out of the chair and pinning her to the floor.


End file.
